At the pre-fight press conference on Wednesday, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis made an effort to get along with one another in preparation for their 136-pound pay-per-view battle on April 22 in Las Vegas.
They chatted politely and emphasized the importance of the highly anticipated match between two talented young boxers with big social media followings, which has created an uncommon buzz. It is regarded as one of the most significant potential matches in the sport.
These two young men, though, are exceedingly self-assured and somewhat rude. They were unable to keep quiet for very long.
“I was asked for a prediction and I gave one,” Garcia said.
Then he seemed to back off somewhat, saying, “I’ll be ready for 12. You have to respect a fighter going in ….”
Davis interrupted. “You’re talking out the ass,” he said as he laned forward so he could see Garcia on the other side of the dais.
“Someone has to promote it” Garcia responded
“He gives away rounds in the beginning, letting you blow off steam like most guys do,” he said. “… Then later he starts applying pressure and hopefully lands a big shot. Now he’s facing a guy who isn’t going to blow off steam. Now it’s a fight. If I hit you, it’s not going to feel good. You’re not going to keep coming forward and taking chances.
“If I find a good shot, nine out of 10 times it should hurt him. If not, I’ll just outbox him. … You don’t see it that much because I knock everyone out but I’ll if I have to.”